Monday NCAA Picks
Our team of writers and handicappers hand out their College Basketball picks and predictions for Monday, February 16.
Pittsburgh at Connecticut, 7:00PM ET
With Connecticut entering its third week as the nation’s top-ranked team, the accolades keep coming in for massive Huskies center Hasheem Thabeet.
DeJuan Blair and Pittsburgh were also ranked No. 1 for a week, and they feel they are the Big East team that is the best in the nation.
The fourth-ranked Panthers will finally get their first look at Connecticut in Monday night’s much-anticipated meeting of powerhouses in Hartford, as the Huskies look for their 14th straight win on the day one of their top scorers is scheduled for season-ending knee surgery.
Connecticut’s dominating rise to the top of the rankings was tempered last week by the loss of guard Jerome Dyson, the team’s third-leading scorer with 13.2 points per game. Dyson will have surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus.
The injury only served to shift the spotlight even more on Thabeet, the 7-foot-3 junior from Tanzania who set new career highs with 25 points and 20 rebounds in a 62-54 win at Seton Hall on Saturday.
But perhaps his most important contributions were his nine blocked shots, as he ramped up his overpowering interior defense for the first-place Huskies (24-1, 12-1).
NCAA Free Pick: Pittsburgh – View Game Matchup | Best Line: +3 Sportsbook.com
Siena at Iona, 7:30PM ET
All games in this series since 1997
SIENA is 12-7 against the spread versus IONA since 1997
SIENA is 17-9 straight up against IONA since 1997
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1997
Games over the last 3 seasons
IONA is 3-2 against the spread versus SIENA over the last 3 seasons
SIENA is 5-0 straight up against IONA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
All games played at IONA since 1997
SIENA is 8-0 against the spread versus IONA since 1997
SIENA is 7-4 straight up against IONA since 1997
2 of 4 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL since 1997
Games played at IONA over the last 3 seasons.
SIENA is 2-0 against the spread versus IONA over the last 3 seasons
SIENA is 2-0 straight up against IONA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 2 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NCAA Free Pick: Iona – View Game Matchup | Best Line: +4 Sportsbook.com
Texas at Texas A&M, 9:00PM ET
Top Trends for this game.
TEXAS A&M is 40-25 ATS (+12.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
TEXAS A&M is 3-2 against the spread versus TEXAS over the last 3 seasons
TEXAS is 3-2 straight up against TEXAS A&M over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NCAA Free Pick: OVER – View Game Matchup | Best Line: O/U 131.5 Sportsbook.com
Bet Men’s College Basketball
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Posted: 2/16/09 11:26AM ET
